Joel Klatt gives top five running backs in college football

We are roughly halfway through the college football regular season, so Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt decided to highlight the top five running backs he’s seen so far in the 2023 season.

During a mailbag portion of this week’s episode of his youtube show, one fan wrote in asking Klatt to list his best players at skill positions on offense. So, he ranked some of his top offensive playmakers, including running backs.

Counting down from five to one, Klatt singled out the ball carriers who have really boosted their teams to great success thus far. He leads with a pair of Pac-12 playmakers and has an interesting Big Ten inclusion on the list — which you can check out as part of his rankings and comments right here:

5. MarShawn Lloyd | USC

Lloyd receives slightly over 10 carries per game but inflicts heavy damage with those opportunities he does get. After transferring from one USC to another this off-season, the junior RB is on track for a career year with 565 yards, five touchdowns and a wildly-efficient 7.5 yards per carry in 2023.

With those numbers, Klatt begs the Trojans to pound the rock more going forward. “If USC wants to turn their season around and actually go out and win the Pac-12, they’re going to have to start developing the run game a little bit,” he said in the video.

4. Bucky Irving | Oregon

A fellow Pac-12 star and running back averaging over seven yards per touch, Oregon’s Bucky Irving comes in at fourth. Following a terrific performance in the loss to the Huskies, Klatt praised him, saying, “127 against Washington… I think he’s really really good, I love him.”

Through six games, Irving has recorded 520 yards on the ground with an additional 171 receiving yards. Overall, his stats come out to 96 touches and 691 total yards with five touchdowns.

3. Blake Corum | Michigan

On paper, Blake Corum has similar numbers to Irving and Lloyd with 546 rushing yards through seven games. However, he’s just not quite back to playing like the Blake Corum of last season. In 2022, he averaged more than 20 carries per game and surpassed the 1,400-yard mark. But more than halfway through 2023, he’s averaging 13.7 carries per game and is on track to come up short of 1,000 yards for the year.

Don’t worry about him, though, says Joel Klatt. “He’s not quite 100% yet. The jump cut is not quite there, but I tell you, it’s coming,” he says. “And at the end of the year, I think that he’s going to have a big year.”

2. Jonathon Brooks | Texas

Texas had arguably the top running back duo in the country last season with Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson. Both guys left, which would normally mean a step back in the ground game. But nope! Instead, Jonathon Brooks has more than stepped up.

“Jonathon Brooks from Texas, through six games, he’s got more rushing yards than even Bijan from a year ago,” commented Klatt. At the midway point of the regular season, six games in, Brooks currently has 726 rushing yards and is on a four-game streak reaching 100 yards. He’s on fire.

1. Audric Estime | Notre Dame

“No. 1, I think the best running back so far in the year has been Audric Estime from Notre Dame. I think he’s been outstanding,” declared Joel Klatt of the Fighting Irish star. Heading into Week 8, he’s fourth in the country in rushing yards with 787 through eight games.

He was terrific in the stormy win over NC State with 150+ total yards and a pair of touchdowns. Plus, he also came up big vs. Duke, scoring two touchdowns, including a final 30-yard sprint to score the game-winning touchdown.